Jon Bon Jovi has spoken candidly about his daughter's headline-grabbing personal problems, insisting he was "shocked" to find out the teenager was dabbling in drugs because he had "no idea" before her dramatic arrest and hospitalization.

Stephanie Rose Bongiovi, 19, was found unresponsive in her dorm room at Hamilton College in New York and hospitalised, before being arrested on drug charges after a "small quantity" of heroin and marijuana was found during a search.

The charges were later dropped and Bon Jovi insists the teenager is now "doing great", but reveals he was initially stunned to discover his little girl was getting into trouble.

He tells the Associated Press, "I didn't have any sisters. We bring home this girl the first day. Now what? Where's the manual? There was no manual. So you bring her up the best you can, you surround her with hugs and kisses and know that she may eventually fall down... I'm shocked as much as the next parent with this situation and had no idea. But then you surround them with best help and love and move on, and that's where we're at with it. Steph is a great kid... Cool school, Hamilton College up in Clinton, New York.

"Everything about it is idyllic. She was doing great. Then a sudden and steep decline."

The singer now hopes Stephanie will be able to move on from the incident, adding, "Hopefully, we caught it when we did and that's the end of it. But who knew? I've got three more (children) to come (grow up)."